Residents wonder what Fallbrook's future holds Multiple players will change shape of transportation corridor

To many commuters traveling between Temecula and San Diego, Fallbrook is a name on a sign they pass by on Interstate-15 (I-15). Locals know the area hidden to freeway commuters is a rare jewel of a rural town that boasts gently rolling hills, lush groves, equestrian trails, nature preserves and riparian areas.

For now, the part of Fallbrook that lines the I-15 corridor is rich with nature’s landscape and sparse of buildings. Corridor commuters enjoy the scenery but only tap the surface of the Friendly Village. The fate of the corridor will be determined in the not-too-distant future as developers, the County of San Diego (CSD), a struggling water district and residents valiantly trying to maintain the rural atmosphere come face to face to work out a solution amenable to everyone. Some say it is inevitable that the appearance of the corridor will change — with projects on the drawing board on the east side of I-15 that include industrial, residential and commercial developments that would change that area from natural to a hustling, bustling environment.

The possibilities are complex and several are still in the planning stages. Plenty of residents have begun to fight against the contenders, but one question stands out: can residents stop development?

On one hand, the region’s population is growing and this area has the terrain and transportation access to validate growth. On the other, the very reason many residents have moved to Fallbrook is to avoid high-density housing and to enjoy the country setting, compared to areas like San Diego, the Temecula Valley or Orange County.

Whatever the outcome, it is evident any change will affect all locals, even those who reside toward what is commonly called the ‘heart of the village.’

Residential development

Currently, only 555 dwelling units (DU) are allowed to be built in the northeast corner of I-15 and State Route 76 (SR-76), under the conditions of the 1984 General Plan. The CSD is updating the plan to become the 2020 plan and this region is (as far as we know) the only disputed space. And disputed it is. At the heart of the issue is the significant change that CSD would like to see. According to Fair Plan, a group established to protect historic landowner densities consistent with the 1984 General Plan, 9,741 DU technically could be allowed for the area, but all parties agree this should not happen. In CSD’s most recent presentation to the Fallbrook Community Planning Group (FCPG) on March 10, they proposed an allowance of 1,800 to 2,400 DU.

Jim Tudor and Chris Hasvold of Fair Plan pointed out that CSD’s proposal could permit for over four times the amount of the current allowance. FCPG Chairman Jim Russell requested CSD to lower the range by 700 DU. Ivan Holler of CSD agreed to re-construct the plans and set up another presentation with Russell in the near future.

Whatever the county decides is what will be put in place for area developers to work with. Those developers are Pardee Homes, Passarelle and Pappas.

Hundreds of residents, including those who don’t live in the I-15 corridor sector of Fallbrook, are troubled by the possible development. Primary concerns by those residents, as well as many constituents of the 15-member FCPG board, include greatly increased traffic on SR-76, which many believe is currently over-congested and will worsen with other facilities being created near the highway; the increased traffic during rush hours on I-15; the safety of SR-76; the drastic change in density; and the alteration to the present rural lifestyle and beauty of the landscape.

Another common belief is that growth is inevitable but should happen slowly. “Any general plan should provide for graceful growth of a city,” Wallace Tucker said at the March 10 FCPG meeting.

New sewer plant

Pardee Homes proposed to Rainbow Municipal Water District (RMWD) to completely pay for the development of an $11 million wastewater (sewer) treatment plant. Both parties signed a pre-annexation agreement in July of 2004. In return, RMWD would annex (include) Pardee’s property into the district, provide water and sewer services to the future development and allow the sewer site to be built on 14 acres of RMWD land, just south of the RMWD office building on Old Highway 395.

Pardee lists the benefits of the proposed type of plant as: odor reduction (the type of walls will help kill the odor); easy computer operation located in a building separate from the treatment area; the plant has a simple design that can be hidden; it will create only one truckload of solid waste every two weeks; and the water will be percolated, which means after it has been treated it will sit in ponds to be absorbed by the ground.

Controversy has surrounded the issue. Since the site was initially proposed, a select group of community members have rallied against it. Recently, more people have joined the stance, primarily from the Lake Rancho Viejo, Rancho Monserate and Pala Mesa neighborhoods, which are the homes closest to the treatment plant’s proposed site.

Major concerns about the sewer plant, not the development, are: odor, appearance, solid waste, loss of homeowners’ property value, effects on the San Luis Rey River (the nearest bed is located 400 feet from the river), the district’s lack of experience running a sewer plant and risks like spills and safety. During a public workshop held on March 30, another issue was the notion that the district chose a chemical plant that would treat the sewage waste with chlorine. It was said to be highly risky and against the recommendations of Homeland Security because of the threat of terrorism.

Greg Ensminger, general manager for the district, countered most of these possibilities in an interview. According to him, the waste will be treated with chemicals that have the same chemical makeup as household bleach. It is a liquid chemical, not a gas chemical, which is much safer for spills or even the threat of a terrorist explosion. If a catastrophic event were to occur, it would be located in a small, contained area and could be cleaned up within hours. He said there are many preventative measures set up within the plant’s computer to handle unexpected glitches and reroute the treatment of waste to a working area. Ensminger said the water that comes from the plant will be safe enough to swim in and will actually improve the quality of the river because it will be much cleaner. He does not believe odor will be a problem and said he knows of facilities that have sewer plants that have actually increased the value of nearby properties because of the stability plants provide.

Currently, the district has chlorine gas cylinders on their property, which are transported in the back of pickup trucks around the district. According to Ensminger, the current situation is far more dangerous than the proposed plant. To Ensminger, the biggest risk is the possibility of losing the sewer plant, because the dynamics of his governing board have recently changed and the current majority appears to be reconsidering the decision made regarding the pre-annexation agreement. Besides the benefit of having it built at no cost to the district, with the ability to double its size in future years, the money the district would earn from the plant’s new ratepayers could help with the district’s current financial struggles. RMWD’s governing board has issued a directive to their legal counsel to see if they have any options to extricate themselves from the agreement.

In February, Pardee began looking to annex their property into either the San Luis Rey Municipal Water District or another special district. Ensminger believes the plant is inevitable in this area and hates the idea of seeing RMWD lose the likely profits.

Ultimately, the RMWD board will make the fateful decision after advice from their counsel.

Green waste power plant

Envirepel is a company that is in the planning stages of building a 200,000-square-foot plant on SR-76, east of I-15. This plant will consume green waste and transform it into energy. A contract was signed between the company and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), which will purchase 45 Mega Watts (MW) of energy. Originally, the plant was going to produce 45 to 55 MW. After Envirepel recently received their preliminary system impact report from SDG&E, they intend to continuously deliver 65 MW into the system. Envirepel’s Web site states, “One MW is enough energy to power up 1,000 homes.” Construction on the plant is scheduled to begin the end of this year.

According to Tony Arand, president of Envirepel, “the facility will be able to consume as much green waste as the Gregory Canyon landfill... The energy facility doesn’t need a smokestack, will not have much in the way of emissions, <and> uses greenhouses for cooling to minimize the need for water.” Envirepel plans to build three similar plants around the county. They will differ by consuming garbage instead of green waste. By doing this, Arand said, it will eliminate the need for “[Gregory Canyon or] another landfill in San Diego County for about 75 years.”

Gregory Canyon landfill

Approximately three miles east of the I-15/SR-76 intersection is the 1,770-acre site for the proposed Gregory Canyon landfill. The landfill would use approximately 309 acres of that site. The County Water Authority’s First San Diego Aqueduct crosses the property immediately west of the landfill footprint. Zoning of the Gregory Canyon site as a landfill was approved by a countywide vote in November 1994. In March 1999, the CWA board authorized staff to submit comments on the draft environmental impact report. The CWA has three major concerns about the proposed landfill: the protection of water resources due to potential contamination of the San Luis Rey River and the associated aquifers; the protection of existing CWA facilities; and the ability to install Pipeline 6 in the future. Some Fallbrook area residents have expressed concerns over the impact the landfill will have on the environment, particularly water sources and the significant impact on traffic from refuse trucks.

This landfill cannot be constructed until and unless there is a final permit from the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the State Water Quality Control Board. It has been recently reported that the California Regional Water Quality Control Board told Gregory Canyon Ltd. owner Richard Chase that his application for a water-quality permit was ready to be ruled upon and a decision may be made by July. The board will consider to what extent the dump would affect local water sources such as the San Luis Rey River watershed.

Proposition B, an initiative by environmental groups to repeal the zoning of Gregory Canyon as a landfill, was defeated in a public vote in November of 2004. However, a lawsuit was filed in the same month by the Pala Band of Mission Indians, RiverWatch and the City of Oceanside against the San Diego County’s Department of Environmental Health, Gregory Canyon Ltd, et al. The lawsuit claims the environmental impact information is incomplete.

Rock quarry at Rosemary’s Mountain

One and one-half miles east of where I-15/SR-76 intersect, at Rosemary’s Mountain, a rock quarry is planned that will encompass over 90 acres.

A project that has enraged area residents and environmentalists for the past 18 years, the quarry may become a reality in the next two or three years since a state appeals court upheld the site’s environmental impact report against legal challenges by environmentalists last fall.

The project, originated by Palomar Aggregates, has turned over development of the site to Granite Construction Co., which is currently seeking approval to widen Highway 76 from the Rosemary’s Mountain site to the I-15 due to the enormous amount of truck traffic that will be created to transport the material.

The quarry will mine, crush and produce aggregate material, primarily elements used to make concrete and asphalt for the construction industry.

RiverWatch, an environmental group that focuses on protecting the San Luis Rey River Watershed, has voiced distinct opposition to the project and put considerable effort into appealing to governmental agencies for careful scrutiny of the proposed facility.